ANBU - For my village!

A/N: This is a try. If I like it and have the time, Ill maybe write more. But no upload scedule, lifes too busy. Please comment on any mistakes and ill fix em.

This chapter has 7,5k words.

The dimly lit chamber of the Iwa ANBU headquarters was thick with silence, broken only by the faint rustle of papers on the stone table in front of him. Ryou Hoshigaki adjusted his ANBU mask, the familiar weight pressing down with a comfortable finality. His fingers brushed over the smooth, unblemished surface—a stark contrast to his own scarred hands beneath. The porcelain mask was a lifeline to anonymity, to the nameless duty he'd dedicated himself to. The weight of that duty now felt heavier than ever.

He had served in the ANBU for nearly two decades, taking on missions few would dare to even contemplate. Each mission was a trial, a test of survival and skill, but this one felt different. It was to be his last— one final mission, he reminded himself. He could feel the wear in his bones, the fatigue in his chakra pathways from years of battle. The thought of leaving behind this life of blood and shadows was tempting.

A sudden memory rose unbidden in his mind, the faintest echo of a child's laughter. His hand instinctively curled into a fist, and he willed the memory to the back of his mind. There is no space for the past here, he thought. But the truth was hard to ignore. His memories were the shadows he carried, each one a fragment of the family he'd lost to the relentless cycle of shinobi warfare.

The room's heavy wooden door creaked open, and his squad entered quietly. Kenta, Saya, and Daiki—their masks, too, reflected the silent, nameless life they had each accepted.

Kenta nodded at him first. The stockiest of the three, Kenta wore a dog-shaped mask and had a habit of grinning right before a fight, even if he knew it might be his last. His reputation as an explosives expert preceded him, known for taking calculated risks that often pushed the bounds of stealth.

Saya followed, her gaze calm and detached behind her hawk-shaped mask. A sensor-nin, she had a keen ability to mask her chakra signature, making her invaluable for reconnaissance and silent infiltration. Her skill was one Ryou admired—she could slip through a line of sensors with a lightness of touch that few possessed. Saya's loyalty to the squad was unwavering; Ryou knew he could trust her without question.

Finally, Daiki entered, his movements quiet and measured, barely disturbing the air around him. Behind his mask, marked with a single horizontal slash, lay a keen medical mind and the defensive abilities that had saved each of them more than once. Though he rarely spoke, his actions spoke volumes. Every injury they had endured together was a testament to his skill and dedication.

Ryou cleared his throat. "Our mission is a complex one, and it demands absolute focus." His voice was low, firm. "We are infiltrating the Land of Lightning. Our target is one of Kumo's chakra-infused power grids near their western borders. The Tsuchikage has reason to believe it's responsible for Kumo's recent increase in offensive capabilities."

The squad listened in silence, absorbing the details. He could see Saya's hands twitch, her focus already shifting to chakra suppression tactics she might employ. Kenta's eyes narrowed in excitement behind his mask, likely envisioning potential points for sabotage and explosive placement. Daiki, as always, remained calm and unreadable, waiting for further instruction.

"This isn't a straightforward mission. We're to remain undetected at all costs," Ryou continued, his gaze sweeping over each member. "Our first priority is to sabotage the grid. If we're discovered… our fallback plan is evasion. Fighting Kumo's ANBU is not part of the mission."

Saya's voice, calm and unwavering, cut through the silence. "How high is the risk of ANBU patrols?"

Ryou hesitated. "High. Our intelligence reports that two Kumo ANBU squads are regularly stationed near the grid's perimeter. If we're detected, our odds of making it out alive are slim."

A brief silence fell as each member considered the gravity of the mission.

"We move at dawn. Prepare your equipment and get some rest tonight." Ryou's words were direct, masking the conflicting emotions brewing beneath his calm exterior. For him, this mission wasn't just about duty—it was a test of how he wanted to end this chapter of his life.

The squad nodded, each acknowledging his words in their own way. The bond between them, forged through countless missions, did not need words. They were more than comrades; they were a team whose survival depended on each other's trust and skill. As they filed out, Kenta placed a hand on Ryou's shoulder, a rare gesture from the typically irreverent shinobi.

"After this one, Captain… are you finally retiring?"

Ryou didn't answer immediately. The word felt strange to him, as if it didn't quite fit the life he had led. "Maybe," he said at last. "If we all make it out of this one, maybe."

Kenta's laughter, muffled by his mask, was light but genuine. "Then I'll hold you to that."

When the others had left, Ryou remained in the quiet room, a single lantern casting shadows on the walls around him. He allowed his thoughts to drift, memories surfacing of old battles, lost friends, and silent victories that would never be spoken of. In a world where shinobi lived and died by their missions, he had always believed his family would be the legacy he left behind. But now, they were ghosts, and his only legacy lay in the shadows.

As he extinguished the lantern, Ryou offered a silent promise to himself. If this is to be my last mission, then let it be one worth remembering.

With that thought, he left the headquarters, blending into the night like the shadow he had always been.

------------

The ridge offered a clear vantage of the target far below. Ryou assessed the layout of the chakra grid facility with clinical precision, his mind calculating each movement needed to infiltrate and disable their target. He signaled for his team to gather in close, keeping his voice low and direct.

"Mission parameters remain unchanged," Ryou said, voice steady. "Objective: neutralize the chakra grid without detection. We split here. Saya, you're with me."

"Copy that, Captain." Saya's voice was equally focused, barely above a whisper. Ryou glanced at the others.

"Kenta, Daiki—you're overwatch, and extraction prep. Assume hostile presence on-site. Be ready for rapid suppression and fallback if things go loud. Understood?"

"Understood," Daiki responded, his tone sharp and precise. Kenta merely gave a brief nod, his fingers brushing over the small pack of explosive tags secured to his waist.

"On my signal, you'll initiate fallback maneuvers. Radio silence after that unless absolutely necessary," Ryou ordered. "We'll approach the grid from the east; your entry will be from the south. Time check and movement in three."

They nodded as one, settling into silence as each member checked their gear with practiced efficiency. Ryou glanced at his watch and held up three fingers. With each silent count, a finger dropped until only one remained. Go.

The team split off without hesitation, each pair moving with calculated precision through the thick underbrush. Ryou and Saya slipped down the incline, navigating through trees and rocky terrain with the ease of years in ANBU. They approached the fence line, hidden by dense cover, as they reached the perimeter of the facility.

Ryou signaled with two fingers— halt and suppress chakra. Saya closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, sending out a fine-tuned pulse of her chakra suppression technique. Within moments, their presence blended seamlessly with the surrounding forest, faint ripples of chakra disappearing as her technique took effect.

"We're invisible," she confirmed, voice barely audible.

"Maintain until we hit the outer fence," he replied, his words short and clipped. "Silent approach, no unnecessary moves. Be ready for contact."

Together, they advanced to the facility's edge, their movements silent as they reached the outer defenses. Ryou scanned the perimeter, noting each guard's routine movements. As he anticipated, Kumo's defenses were tight; even small mistakes here would compromise the entire operation.

The fence was strengthened with fuinjutsu, so Ryou extracted a small suppression tag and applied it with surgical precision to the base of a small pole. He nodded to Saya, who set an identical tag on the upper end.

"Tag secure. Disruption initiated," Saya reported.

"Move out," he commanded, slipping back from the fences edge to regroup with Kenta and Daiki.

They barely moved a hundred meters when Saya stopped abruptly, her hand on Ryou's shoulder in silent alert.

"Captain," she murmured, voice tense. "Movement on our six. Lightly masked chakra— Kumo signature."

Ryou's grip tightened on his kunai, eyes narrowing. "Acknowledged. Assume ANBU," he replied. He brought up his hand, signaling fallback for Saya. "No contact unless unavoidable."

She nodded, and they began to retreat through the trees, keeping their movements controlled and efficient. But before they could break away fully, a kunai embedded itself in the trunk beside them with a hollow thud. Lightning chakra sparked off the weapon, a clear mark of the enemy's presence.

Two masked figures emerged from the shadows of the forest, their posture alert and eyes cold beneath their masks. The Kumo ANBU stood poised, each movement efficient and practiced. Ryou felt his heart steady into a cold rhythm, his mind shifting into combat readiness.

"Change of plan," he muttered, signaling to Saya to adopt a defensive stance. "Fallback route is compromised. Prepare to engage."

Saya's answer was a terse nod, her hand already hovering over her kunai pouch. The Kumo ANBU's leader shifted slightly, sizing up Ryou and Saya with an air of silent calculation. No words passed between them, but the message was clear—they weren't leaving without a fight.

Ryou narrowed his eyes, his mind calculating their best approach.

"Engage on my mark," he whispered to Saya, his voice cold and final.

And then, with a single gesture, he led the charge.

---

Without warning, Ryou's figure blurred, the world around him stretching as he used Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to close the distance between himself and the jaguar-masked Kumo ANBU. He appeared behind the opponent in the span of a heartbeat, a kunai already raised for a swift strike to the back.

But the Kumo ninja was fast—his senses keen. With a flicker of motion, he spun, barely dodging the slash as Ryou's kunai met nothing but air. The Kumo ninja's counterattack came without hesitation: a spinning kick aimed directly at Ryou's ribs, fast and powerful.

Ryou dodged with a quick Body Flicker, sidestepping and using the movement to propel himself back toward the ground, narrowly avoiding the blow. He sprang up, adjusting his stance mid-air and landing silently on his feet. He didn't waste a single movement.

Without a word, Ryou thrust his hand towards the ground, palms open. "Doton: Doryū Jōheki" (Earth Release: Earth Style Wall) he muttered, and stone erupted from the ground beneath him, a thick shield of rock pushing out toward the Kumo leader, forcing him to retreat a few steps.

Saya wasn't far behind. She didn't need a signal. As soon as Ryou engaged, she was already moving—her Shunshin no Jutsu letting her blur across the battlefield to the other side of the clearing, where the wolf-masked Kumo ANBU stood waiting.

The wolf-mask ninja, more cautious than his partner, avoided Saya's quick approach by springing backward in a fluid motion while using the Stone Shuriken Jutsu to hurl several shuriken from the ground at her.

But Saya's hand was already moving to her pouch. She flicked it open, throwing a handful of smoke bombs onto the ground in a flash. The air filled with an instant, choking mist, and in the confusion, her presence vanished. The Kumo ANBU swiped through the air, his eyes darting left and right, but there was no sign of her.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu," Saya whispered barely above the roar of rushing wind. The air around her condensed, and a massive spiraling water dragon shot from the ground, colliding with the jaguar-masked Kumo ANBU, knocking him back several feet and disrupting his footing.

Ryou, now facing the leader, didn't waste the opportunity. He flung another kunai with a single flick of his wrist. As the jaguar-masked ANBU blocked it with his arm, Ryou closed the distance once more, executing a flawless Shunshin to reappear behind him. The Kumo ANBU was caught off guard as Ryou's kunai whizzed through the air, narrowly missing a lethal strike to the jugular.

---

The Kumo ninja snarled and twirled to face his opponent. "You're good," he said under his breath, his voice laced with a quiet admiration.

"Not good enough," Ryou muttered in return, ducking under a punch and launching a spinning kick to the ANBU's midsection. The impact knocked the wind from him, but it wasn't enough. The Kumo ANBU used his own body flicker to retreat, slashing down with a Chidori Senbon —a lightning-infused jutsu, inspired by the Copy-Ninja Kakashi, that fired precise needles of electricity at Ryou.

The needles closed in on him. But Ryou was already gone, slipping back into the shadows with another Shunshin.

His heart was steady, his mind blank as he darted between them, timing each strike with deadly efficiency. This was what he was trained for.

Meanwhile, Saya, now inside the thick cover of smoke, had already switched strategies. Without hesitation, she dropped down to one knee, hands moving in a seamless sequence to form the necessary seals for jutsu. The wolf-masked Kumo ANBU was close, and the opening was perfect.

"Fūton: Daitoppa," she whispered with precision.

A powerful gust of wind shot from her position, aimed directly at the wolf-masked ninja. He had no time to react—his feet slipped out from under him, the force of the wind sending him crashing into the thick branches above. The impact made a sound that echoed in the forest, followed by a series of rapid twigs snapping.

For a moment, everything was still.

But that silence was fleeting.

The jaguar-masked ANBU surged forward, taking advantage of the distraction, launching himself at Saya with a series of sharp, chakra infuse strikes. His hand crackled with lightning chakra, the blade of his hand slicing through the air toward her.

Saya was faster.

With a swift motion, she used a water jutsu to turn a portion of the mist around her into a defensive water shield. As the Raikiri collided with the shield, the jaguar-mask ninja grinned, clearly not expecting the move. But the grin faltered when he saw the water morph, forming into chains that wrapped around his arms and legs, locking him in place.

Ryou appeared from the shadows behind the struggling Kumo ANBU, his kunai raised.

"Doton: Yomi Numa ," Ryou muttered under his breath, and the ground around the Kumo ANBU's feet began to sink into a sticky, muddy swamp. His opponent's struggle was futile as the earth quickly swallowed his lower body.

Ryou was on him in a flash. With a single motion, he drove his kunai into the man's neck, ending the fight with a brutal, efficient strike. No words were needed; the first Kumo ANBU was neutralized.

But the wolf-masked ninja was still very much a threat.

Saya had just pulled herself to her feet when the remaining Kumo ANBU appeared from the upper branches of a tree. He charged, his body surrounded by crackling lightning, and launched into a series of high-speed hand-to-hand combat strikes.

Ryou's body tensed in response. His body flickered again— Shunshin —appearing just inches from the Kumo ninja's chest.

A Chidori Senbon pierced the air, but Ryou was faster. He sidestepped the strikes and slid past his opponent's defenses. With a fluid motion, Ryou closed the distance again, grabbing the Kumo ninja's wrist and twisting it, forcing him off balance. With a final, swift movement, Ryou drew his kunai through the exposed side of the Kumo ANBU's neck, ending his resistance.

The battlefield was silent now. The Kumo ANBU had been defeated—swiftly, efficiently.

Ryou took a deep breath. His chest heaved slightly, but his heart rate was steady, his focus unchanged.

"Status?" Ryou asked through his comm.

Saya, her breath steady despite the intensity of the fight, responded first. "Clear. No more Kumo presence detected."

Kenta's voice followed, "We're ready to fall back, Captain."

Ryou nodded sharply. "Good. We wait for 0050 to see if our disruption has be found. If not, we move in!"

---

The facility's exterior was heavily guarded, but Ryou was unconcerned, as they knew the guard cycles and had infiltrated through the first level of defense. Their infiltration had been smooth thus far, and the timing was crucial. Kumo was expanding its influence, fortifying its borders with these chakra grid systems, meant to amplify their ninja forces and give them a significant advantage in the upcoming regional conflicts.

Their mission was clear: disable the chakra grid, without leaving a trace of their origin. The longer it remained intact, the more time Kumo would have to integrate it into their broader strategy. Ryou's team would ensure it was a total loss.

"Phase One," Ryou whispered into his comms. "We're proceeding to the outer perimeter. Keep radio silence unless it's critical."

The four of them—Ryou, Saya, Kenta, and Daiki—moved in tandem, their silent forms slipping through the foliage like shadows. As they reached the outer edge of the inner compound, Ryou held up his hand, signaling for them to halt. The high security facility was surrounded by high, electrified fences, and patrolling guards were stationed at various points.

"Saya, Kenta—disable the sensors and barriers. Daiki, set up explosives on the north gate. I'll handle the central point. We move in thirty seconds."

"Understood."

Saya and Kenta both used the shadows to melt into their tasks. Saya approached a pair of reinforced security posts, where chakra sensors hummed quietly in the night air. She dropped low, her fingers weaving through a series of precise hand seals. Genjutsu: Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique) flooded the minds of the guards nearest the sensors, making them hallucinate dark, nightmarish visions. The guards were paralyzed by fear as their surroundings turned into twisted, distorted figures.

Kenta already had his hands on a handful of explosive tags. With precise movements, he attached the tags to the junctions of the security system, creating a chain reaction that would collapse the sensors silently but effectively.

Ryou kept his attention on the facility. A shadow of movement caught his eye. Another patrol. He signaled for Daiki, who had already slipped into the shadows to set the north gate's explosives. The Kumo soldiers didn't know the storm that was about to hit them.

"Timer set. Explosives are primed." Daiki's voice came over the comms, calm as ever, even as the situation became more tense.

"Good." Ryou's voice remained low. "Wait for my signal."

 Phase Two: Breach and Sabotage.

With the perimeter disabled with small, silent focus-explosive-tags, the four ANBU ninja moved in, swift as a coordinated wolf pack. Ryou's heart beat with steady purpose. His fingers were already making the signs for his next move.

 Doton: Gōsu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Earth Fang Technique).

A thick, jagged spike of earth shot from the ground, creating a sudden gap in the wall of the facility, just large enough for the team to slip through. Ryou moved first, leading with Daiki right behind him.

Inside the facility, the air was filled with the hum of a massive chakra current, traveling through the pipes and conduits, energizing everything in its path. Ryou's pulse quickened as they advanced, the looming structure pressing down on them. Their goal was the central control room, where the chakra grid's stabilizing core was housed.

Saya moved ahead, her Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Technique) allowing her to dodge another group of guards by substituting herself with a discarded box nearby, blending perfectly into the shadows. The guards walked past without noticing, and Saya took the opportunity to disable a few of the external security cameras with a quick Fūton: Atsugai (Wind Release: Pressure Damage), using the sheer force of the wind to destroy the camera lenses.

They were in. But time was already working against them.

 Phase Three: The Core.

Ryou, Saya, Kenta, and Daiki arrived at the entrance to the central control room. The door was massive and heavily fortified. Daiki was already kneeling, hands working over explosive tags as Ryou prepared for a final push.

"Set explosives. I'll cover the entry point." Ryou said, pulling out several kunai from his pouch. He swiftly coated them in poison and then lined up along the hallway, anticipating the moment the door blew open.

 Boom. The door shattered outward with a violent burst of smoke, sparks flying from the blast.

Ryou was already on the move, his speed a blur as he charged through the smoke. His kunai found their marks with lethal precision—two guards down, their bodies twitching with the poison in seconds.

"Clear. " Ryou muttered as the rest of his team swept in behind him. The facility's core room was sprawling, its walls lined with tubes of glowing blue chakra conduits. The air hummed with the energy, thick with its raw power. In the center stood a massive, orb-like device, pulsating with chakra. It was the heart of the entire grid.

"We're on a timer. Take out the core and start the extraction."

Kenta moved first, placing several explosive seals along the base of the core while Saya spread out, taking up a defensive position. Ryou stood guard near the entrance, watching the surroundings closely. He didn't let his guard down, even for a second.

 Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld).

As the core was set to explode, Ryou used his Doton jutsu to force the earth to rumble beneath them, creating cracks in the floor and initiating tremors. His technique wasn't meant to cause massive destruction; rather, it was meant to destabilize the area further, forcing the grid's energy lines to surge erratically and overload.

"Charge in three seconds. " Ryou's voice remained unyielding.

Kenta gave a quick nod as the explosive seals activated.

 BOOM.

The explosion wasn't large, but the resulting shockwave of chakra destabilization caused a burst of raw energy to ripple through the room, lighting up the control room in a flash of blue light. The core shattered, and with it, the entire chakra grid began to malfunction.

The energy flow sputtered and collapsed, flickering like a dying light. Ryou felt the weight of the mission lifting from his chest, but it was still not over. The facility was coming down, and they had to extract—now.

 Phase Four: Extraction.

"Time to go." Ryou barked, his voice sharp with urgency.

They turned and sprinted through the facility, dodging collapsing walls and sparking wires. Daiki used his Shunshin no Jutsu to outpace the destruction, covering their retreat. Saya and Kenta flanked, clearing out any remaining resistance as the building collapsed around them.

With each step, Ryou's senses remained alert, knowing that the destruction of the chakra grid would have repercussions. The Kumo forces would be after them soon, and their exit would need to be as flawless as their entry.

As they crossed back to the perimeter, Ryou felt the familiar pull of the earth beneath his feet. They were almost there. Just one final push.

With a final burst of speed, they cleared the facility's border and disappeared into the shadows.

---

The hum of the destroyed facility was a distant memory as Ryou's team sprinted through the dense forest, hearts pounding with the rush of their successful sabotage. The explosive tags had done their job—flames erupted in the distance, and the chakra grid had shut down in a violent cascade of sparks and flickering energy. The facility was dead, Kumo's new weapon of war was broken, and they had dealt a critical blow.

But Ryou didn't allow himself to feel relief. The seconds felt like hours as they moved, the adrenaline not enough to suppress the nagging sense of impending danger.

"Ryou, we've got company. " Saya's voice cut through the silence, and his gut tightened. Her words weren't a question—they were a warning.

He had barely a moment to react.

Alarms shrieked in the distance—deep, mechanical wails that echoed across the land. The Kumo forces had finally realized the extent of the damage. He had anticipated the potential of a delayed reaction, but the facility's security systems had been more robust than he thought. The sabotage had tripped a failsafe, triggering a wide-reaching alert system.

" Move faster! " Ryou barked. " We need to get to the extraction point, now! "

The mission had just become far more complicated.

As Ryou and the team pushed on through the treeline, Ryou's instincts screamed. The terrain shifted beneath his feet—he could feel the subtle hum of chakra in the air. He didn't need to look to know they were being tracked.

"Two squads, approaching from the southeast. " Kenta's voice was calm, but Ryou could hear the tension in it. "They're too fast—we won't outrun them."

Ryou's breath hitched. Too fast.

They had to fight, there was no other choice.

"Prepare for engagement," Ryou ordered. "Saya, cover our rear. Kenta, Daiki—stick with me."

The moment the words left his mouth, the first strike came.

A bolt of lightning (Lightning Blade) sliced through the air like a whip, slamming into a nearby tree with enough force to splinter it into kindling. Ryou's senses were already on high alert. He didn't need to turn around to know who had arrived.

"Takeda." Ryou's voice was a low murmur, barely audible against the surrounding chaos.

Out of the trees, a figure emerged, moving with a speed Ryou could barely track. Takeda, the Kumo ANBU's viez-leader, a lightning-style expert known for his nearly unmatched speed in battle, was here. His jaguar mask gleamed under the dim light, but his presence was like a storm—thunderous and merciless.

Takeda didn't hesitate. His hand blazed with electricity as he raised it toward Ryou. " So, we meet again, my sweet, sweet Ryou. "

The words sent a ripple through Ryou and distant memories swirled in his mind, Takeda... it was him. He had been a merciless force on the battlefield during the Great Shinobi War. They had clashed several times, his missions against his careful schemes, but never face-to-face like this. The history between them was personal.

Ryou's muscles tightened as Takeda lunged forward, leaving afterimages of lightning in his wake. The air buzzed with the residual crackle of chakra. Ryou had barely enough time to react, throwing himself into a Shunshin (Body Flicker) just as Takeda's lightning covered fist shot toward his position.

Takeda's smile grew as Ryou reappeared beside him, his blade already slashing in the air. "You're slower than I remember when I trailed you, my dear."

Ryou's response was a blur of motion. He countered with a Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld), sending the ground beneath them into a liquid-like trap. Takeda grinned, almost eagerly, as his lightning-infused legs propelled him into the air, leaving the swamp below him. He came down again in an instant, his body surrounded by an electric aura, his speed incomprehensible.

Behind Ryou, the rest of the Iwa squad was engaged in their own battle.

Saya, who had slipped into the shadows, was fighting off another Kumo ANBU. The wolf-masked figure—a woman, smaller than the others, with a precise and controlled presence—was no stranger to the Iwa nins, her presence a constant in the Bingo Book. Her movements were deliberate, and she moved like water. Saya barely had time to react as Miyako, a sensory suppression specialist, appeared before her.

"You dirty rats always hide in the shadows, don't you?" Miyako's voice was calm, but there was an undeniable edge to it. Her hand wove through a quick series of seals. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (Water Clone Technique)."

Saya darted forward, her kunai poised for a strike, but Miyako's clone—an ethereal, watery version of herself—appeared from the mist that was gathering at her feet. The clone danced out of the way as Saya tried to strike, and in the blink of an eye, Miyako had vanished entirely, using her sensory suppression to disappear from Saya's radar.

"You can't run forever." Miyako's voice echoed around them, coming from all directions. She was using her special jutsu to blend and mix into her surroundings, like a pool of water, masking her chakra signature.

Saya's eyes narrowed. She couldn't allow herself to be cornered by Miyako's stealth tactics.

Meanwhile, Daiki and Kenta were holding their ground, their movements well-coordinated as they faced the remaining Kumo ANBU. Kenta had already thrown a few Shuriken to cover Daiki's movements, whose earth-based jutsu created barriers of stone that blocked incoming attacks. However, the two Kumo ANBU who flanked them were relentless. Every time Kenta threw an explosive tag, the enemy would dissipate into mist or lightning before it could hit, using their natural element for evasive maneuvers.

But Ryou had no time to check on their progress. Takeda was relentless. The lightning ninja was like a storm incarnate; his speed nearly impossible to track. Every time Ryou struck, Takeda vanished into another burst of lightning, countering with terrifying precision. It was a dangerous game of cat and mouse, but Ryou knew that if he didn't take Takeda down quickly, they wouldn't escape.

With a growl, Ryou moved to close the distance. He performed another Shunshin, appearing just in front of Takeda. But instead of engaging directly, Ryou slammed his palm into the ground, using his Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth Wall), causing the earth beneath them to rise into a solid barrier, cutting off Takeda's escape.

For a brief moment, Takeda hesitated. The air crackled with the immense tension, his grin widening. "Clever, my boy, but not enough."

Ryou wasn't done. With his focus honed, he thrust his hands forward, his feet slaming on the ground.

"Doton: Doryūsō (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Palm)!"

The earth rose to his hands and a massive dragon made of earth shot from Ryou's palm, surging toward Takeda in a blur of destructive force. Takeda's eyes widened in surprise. But before he could react, a flash of blue struck him from the side.

Miyako.

The water-style user had come from behind the cover of her water clones, a Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet) crashing into Ryou's earth dragon mid-air. The collision of their elemental jutsu created a violent explosion, sending both combatants flying backward. Ryou landed hard on the ground, stunned from the force, but only for a moment.

"We're outnumbered. Retreat! " Ryou's voice rang out through the chaos, the weight of the fight pressing heavily on his chest. The last mission parameter, to mask their origin, had failed—if they didn't retreat now, they'd be surrounded.

Takeda, now fully composed, stood back up, his chakra crackling with newfound intensity. He caught Ryou's gaze, a faint smirk on his lips.

"You're not getting away this time, Ryou. "

---

The ground shook beneath Ryou's feet as the dust from the violent clash of jutsus settled in the night air. His breath was ragged, his body already protesting every movement, but he kept going. There was no other choice.

Saya, Kenta, and Daiki were already injured, their bodies worn from the relentless assault of Kumo's ANBU. The brief moments of respite they'd managed to carve out through their jutsu and evasive tactics had dwindled to almost nothing. Despite their coordinated effort and superior tactics, the sheer number and power of Kumo's elite squad were beginning to take their toll.

„We're not done yet, Ryou! " Daiki gritted his teeth, planting his foot in the ground to launch another Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Release: Earth Wall) to block a lightning-infused kunai aimed at Kenta. The move was swift, but his voice wavered slightly, betraying the strain of the situation.

„Stay focused, „ Ryou said, barely able to hear his own words over the roar of battle. His hands were already forming seals again as he deflected another electric strike from Takeda, his eyes flashing with determination. "We need to keep the pressure on."

It was all falling apart. The escape route had been sealed, the Kumo reinforcements pouring in from every direction. Takeda's lightning-fast attacks combined with Miyako's sensory suppression had forced Ryou's team into an increasingly tight corner.

"Saya!" Ryou barked, his eyes locking onto the figure behind him. Saya was already pulling out an explosive tag, ready to make one last stand to allow them a window of escape.

„ Ryou, I— „

The sound of cracking bones and tearing flesh cut her off. Saya's eyes widened as she was struck down by a swift, brutal lightning strike from Takeda, the crackling energy ripping through her body. She collapsed with a gasping breath, her face a mixture of shock and pain.

„No! Saya! " Kenta's shout was full of desperation, but his body barely reacted in time as another Kumo ANBU swooped in, delivering a devastating punch to his side. The blow sent him crashing to the ground.

Ryou's heart pounded in his chest. His instincts screamed at him to protect them, but they were being overwhelmed. The gap between them and survival was narrowing with each passing moment.

„Kenta, Daiki—move back! " Ryou shouted. He saw Daiki stagger from the impact of another lightning strike, his body bloodied but still standing. The sheer force of the strikes was too much, but Daiki's resolve held.

"I'm not leaving you behind," Daiki muttered, gritting his teeth. He activated his Doton: Doryūheki once more, this time encasing the group in a thick barrier to buy them precious moments.

The Kumo squad paused, but Ryou knew it wouldn't last. Takeda 's smirk was the only thing he could see in his peripheral vision as the lightning ninja adjusted his stance, preparing for another devastating strike.

"They're trying to buy themselves time., " Takeda said, his voice chilling in the night air. "One by one, I'll take you all down."

And then, it happened.

Daiki reached into his pouch, pulling out the last of his explosive tags. His eyes met Ryou's for the briefest of moments, silent understanding passing between them. The tags were meant to give Ryou the time he needed.

"Get out of here! " Daiki shouted, his voice full of conviction, but his hand trembled as he placed the tags on the edge of the earth barrier. "Finish the mission, Ryou. Protect Iwa."

 …No… not Daiki.

With a final, exhausted breath, Daiki activated the tags, and the barrier exploded outward in a massive wave of earth and fire, scattering the Kumo ANBU squad into the night. The force of the blast sent Ryou flying back, his body hitting the dirt with bone-jarring impact.

Ryou gasped, fighting the waves of unconsciousness that threatened to consume him. Daiki... He couldn't—he couldn't accept this.

The blast had given him the opening he needed, but at the cost of everything.

He pushed himself to his feet, shaking with exhaustion, the raw pain of loss sinking deep in his chest. There was no time to mourn. The mission wasn't over. Not yet.

„ Ryou… " Kenta's voice was a weak rasp from behind him. "It's just you now. We'll..., I'll hold them off... as long as I can."

Ryou could hear the surrender in Kenta's voice, but there was still that final shred of determination, just as he dropped to the ground, dead.

With a fierce growl, Ryou turned toward Takeda. He could see the flash of recognition in Takeda's eyes. Takeda knew it was him. The final confrontation, the two of them standing in the eye of the storm.

Ryou's heart thundered as he stared Takeda down, but deep inside, he knew. This was it.

"You're alone." Takeda's voice was cold, mocking. " our team is dead. The mission has failed. I'll be the one to finish you."

Ryou didn't speak. His gaze hardened, his fists clenched, chakra flowing through him as he activated his trump card.

 "Doton-Fūton: Jōryū Bōyō" (Earth-Wind: Rising Storm of the Earth Dragon).

In an instant, the air around him seemed to warp. A whirlwind of dust and debris began to swirl violently, cloaking him within an impenetrable storm of earth and wind. His chakra roared in tandem with the spiraling wind, his movements blurring as he dissolved into the tempest.

Takeda's eyes narrowed. " You think you can hide in that whirlwind, Ryou? "

But Ryou was already upon him, moving with deadly precision. The storm of dust and earth followed him like a weapon, obscuring his every strike. He felt the rush of his chakra coursing through his body as his senses heightened. His body was no longer just a tool; it felt as if he was part of the storm, part of the chaos.

His Shunshin blurred through the storm, cutting Takeda's lightning-fast movements short as Ryou's fists crashed into the Kumo ninja's side. Takeda staggered but recovered almost instantly, launching a Raikiri toward Ryou with blinding speed.

The two collided in a clash of raw, untamed power—lightning and earth meeting in an explosion of force. The ground cracked beneath them, the air ionized with the power of their jutsu. They were locked in a deadly embrace, neither giving an inch.

 Ryou's mind raced.

The past flashed before his eyes—the countless missions, the lives lost in the name of village rivalry. What was it all for? The cycle of violence never seemed to end, no matter how many lives were sacrificed. His comrades... Daiki, Saya, Kenta... They had all given their lives for this mission.

But it wasn't over. Not yet.

With a final, desperate surge, Ryou launched himself forward through the storm. His hands formed the seals for his last, deadly technique—a jutsu so advanced, so overwhelming that he knew it would take everything he had left to use.

"Doton: Chōkōken" (Earth Release: Earthquake Blade).

He smashed his hands on the ground and the earth responded to his will. From the tip of his fingers, massive blades of rock and chakra erupted, smashing into Takeda's defense. Takeda attempted to dodge, but the sheer force was too much. The stone blades tore into his body, each blow making him stagger further.

Takeda's mask cracked, his once-unshakable composure beginning to falter as he fell to his knees, blood staining the earth beneath him. Ryou stood over him, his breath shallow, his body trembling with the effort.

"I…" Takeda's voice was barely a whisper. "I see. "

Ryou's body swayed, his legs shaking as the weight of the battle finally caught up to him. His vision blurred. His jutsu had drained him—his chakra was spent, his body battered.

"You won't be the only one to die here, Takeda." Ryou muttered, his voice low, and for the first time in years, he allowed himself a moment of sorrow for everything they had lost.

The battle ended with a final flash of light, a crackling of lightning in the distance. Takeda lay motionless, but Ryou didn't have time to savor his victory.

As his body gave in to the overwhelming exhaustion, he collapsed, knowing the price of survival was steep. But at least they would gain something, Iwa would gain something.

---

The world around Ryou blurred into a swirling haze of dust and exhaustion. His heartbeat echoed in his ears, each thump reverberating through his aching body. The earth beneath him trembled as the remnants of his last, desperate jutsu still surged through the ground, sending a final tremor through the battlefield. But Ryou was beyond the point of recovery. The battle had taken everything—his chakra, his strength, his comrades—and now, it was taking his life.

He lay on the ground, his limbs heavy, every breath a struggle as the dust of the battlefield clung to him. His vision flickered, the edges of his consciousness growing distant. He had survived Takeda, but at what cost? The Kumo ANBU leader was dead, but Ryou knew that the fight had drained him completely. There would be no heroic escape, no miracle. There was only the weight of the world, pressing down on him in his final moments.

Ryou's mind drifted back to his squad— Daiki, Saya, Kenta. The faces of his comrades flashed before him like fleeting memories. Daiki's stubborn grin as he threw his last explosive tag. Saya's silent determination as she disappeared into the shadows. Kenta's quiet resolve as he fought to the bitter end, covering their retreat. They were all gone.

Tears threatened to surface, but Ryou refused to let them fall. Tears were a luxury he could no longer afford. This was the price of war, the price of being a shinobi of Iwa. The village, the mission, the comrades—none of them could escape the inevitable. This was the path they had all chosen.

He coughed, tasting blood in his mouth as his hand reached for his side, where a deep wound had been dealt by Takeda's final strike.

" I... did it. " Ryou muttered through gritted teeth. His words felt heavy, almost like they didn't belong to him. He felt himself sinking into the dirt, his body betraying him.

In the stillness of the battlefield, there was only the sound of wind, the distant crackling of flames, and the eerie silence of the aftermath. There was no cheering victory here. Only silence. The cold, unforgiving silence that follows a battle where everyone loses.

Ryou's eyes fluttered open as he felt something—a presence. He couldn't tell if it was the last of his fading consciousness, a hallucination, or something more. But there, standing above him, was a figure. His blurred vision struggled to make sense of it, but the outline was unmistakable.

The figure knelt beside him. Ryou's breath hitched, his thoughts unclear. Was he hallucinating? Was he... seeing things?

" You did good, Ryou. "

The voice was quiet, but it pierced the fog in his mind. His pulse quickened, his chest constricting. It couldn't be. Not now. Not when everything had fallen apart.

The figure's face came into focus, and Ryou's heart faltered. Standing before him was Miyako, the Kumo ANBU suppression specialist. Her presence was as surreal as the battlefield around them. She wasn't here to fight; she wasn't here to finish the job. There was no more hatred between them, just the cold weight of the aftermath. And in that moment, Ryou could see something in her eyes—a reflection of his own pain, of the countless lives lost in a senseless war.

"Miyako..." Ryou's voice came out ragged, barely a whisper. His fingers twitched, reaching toward her, but the effort was futile.

"You're not alone." Her voice was soft, almost gentle, but there was a hardness beneath it that Ryou understood all too well.

His eyes met hers, and in that fleeting moment, the enmity of their villages seemed to vanish, or was there any at all? They were both shinobi, both victims of a system that demanded sacrifice, demanded blood.

" Don't let it consume you," she said softly. "We all… we all get caught up in it. But we can't forget why we fight."

Ryou wanted to speak. He wanted to say something profound, something that would make sense of everything that had happened. But the words wouldn't come. He was too tired. So tired.

The silence stretched between them, heavy and full of understanding. Ryou's breath slowed, his body sagging further into the earth as his vision darkened.

He could feel his chakra flickering out, fading, and he closed his eyes for a moment, as if to prepare himself for what came next.

 The cold. That's what came next.

But there was something else—a warmth. It wasn't a physical heat, but something more. The memory of his squad's laughter. The moments when they were all together, when they were whole.

As Ryou exhaled his final breath, his mind clung to those memories, the flicker of camaraderie, the rush of battle, the sacrifices that defined them all.

He didn't know if it was Miyako's presence, or the weight of the mission, but Ryou's last thought wasn't of the war or the politics that drove it. It wasn't of his village or his enemies. It was the faces of his comrades, those who had fallen beside him—Daiki, Saya, Kenta. They had all fought for something. They had all fought for each other.

The darkness took him then, but he didn't fear it.

He had done his duty.

And that was enough.